Chapter 54- Leaving and Finding
Annie entered room 105, cautiously, and slowly. She spotted Josh, who lay in the cot, his arm in a cast and sling and his stomach wrapped in fresh, clean gauze. He looked up at her and smiled sitting up in the bed. "Come in, please." He said.
When she entered the lighting got better and the look on Josh's face told her that he could see she had been crying. "Are you okay?" He asked, patting the bed, inviting her to sit.
Annie shook her head. "No, I'm not." She said, sitting in the chair next to the cot.
"Well, what's wrong, then." He said. "I thought you would be happy, weren't you released last night?" Annie nodded, almost smiling at Josh's ignorance. "Then what is wrong."
A thought seemed to have crossed his mind for a scared and angry look passed over his face. "Did Jayden do this?" He asked.
"No…" Annie sobbed, beginning to cry again. "I just… I can't do this…" She said.
"I'm sorry, dear, I don't follow." Josh said, looking slightly confused, but still a little frightened and angry. "You can't do what?"
Annie's tears began to fall freely once again. She looked Josh in the eye, and sobbing a deep dramatic sign, she said, "I can't love you…"
Josh stared at her with livid disbelief. "I don't understand." He answered broken.
"I can't love you…" She repeated, her heart almost breaking at his bewildered face.
"Why…?" He said. "Why can't you love me?"
"Because," Annie said. "Most people don't like their sons to date girls who killed their oldest child… most people don't want a murderer for a daughter-in-law."
"You didn't murder him!"
"Yes I did!" She was on her feet now. "Nothing you can say will ever change that!"
"They don't have to know…" Josh said, pathetically desperate.
"What?" She said, staring at him as if he had cauliflower growing out his nose.
"I'll tell them that Jayden pulled the trigger." He said.
"No, Josh you won't."
"Why…?"
"Because I am going to tell them I killed Hayden. I will do it myself." She said, more tears rolling down her cheeks.
"No…" Josh said, but before he could argue further, Annie was gone.
Jayden sat on the walkway in front of his apartment building, his arms folded neatly over his chest. He fought back tears. "I can't believe she is finally gone…" He thought.
"Hey…" said a voice from the gutter on the side of the street. He looked up to see Annie standing there, smiling broadly at him. "Have you seen My Phantom?" She said.
Jayden stood and strode quickly to her. He hugged her to him, and lifted her off the ground, her feet dangling beneath her. Jayden sat her back on the ground and brushed a stray hair our of her smiling beautiful face. Her eyes searched his, deeply.
"I love you." She said.
Jayden smiled, "That's all I ask of you." He said and kissed her firmly on the lips.
FIN